US President Donald Trump on Monday claimed that Iran’s top military leadership had been wiped out and asserted that Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was “90% gone” amid the ongoing conflict between Washington and Tehran. He also announced that the United States would reinstate a blockade on Iran and charge ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz for safe passage, drawing a sharp response from Tehran.
TRUMP CLAIMS IRAN’S MILITARY HAS BEEN CRIPPLED
Speaking in an interview with Fox News, Trump said recent US and Israeli strikes had devastated Iran’s military capabilities.
“They have no navy. They have no air force. It’s all gone. Their anti-aircraft is gone. Their leaders have all been killed,” Trump said.
He added, “Their best leaders have been killed. They’re gone. Khomeini is gone,” apparently referring to Ali Khamenei, who was killed during the opening wave of US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February.
Trump also claimed Mojtaba Khamenei, widely viewed as his father’s likely successor, was “90% gone.” Mojtaba is reported to be recovering from injuries sustained in an airstrike and did not attend funeral ceremonies for his father held in Iran and Iraq earlier this month.
US ANNOUNCES IRAN BLOCKADE, HORMUZ TRANSIT CHARGES
The remarks came as the United States and Iran exchanged fresh strikes over the weekend,further escalating hostilities.
Trump announced that Washington would reinstate an “Iranian blockade” and said vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz would be required to pay for safe passage.
Earlier, in a post on Truth Social, Trump declared that the US would become the “Guardian of the Hormuz Strait.”
“The Hormuz Strait is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran. We are reinstating THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE, so named because it is only stopping Iran’s ships or customers from entering or leaving. All other countries will have fair and open use of the Strait,” he wrote.
Trump also said countries using the strategic waterway should contribute towards the cost of protecting it and proposed a 20 per cent reimbursement on all cargo shipped through the route.
IRAN REJECTS TRUMP’S CLAIMS
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi dismissed Trump’s proposal, insisting that Iran, not the United States, has historically safeguarded the Strait of Hormuz.
“Iran has always been the GUARDIAN of the Strait and will remain so FOREVER. 20% is of course too much. We will be fair,” Araghchi said in a post on social media.
WAR OF WORDS OVER STRAIT OF HORMUZ
The latest exchange highlights the deepening confrontation between Washington and Tehran, with both sides staking competing claims over the security and control of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical maritime trade routes, as military tensions continue to intensify across the Gulf.( _IT_)
